Thread: Can I use a reamer as a cutter?

Woodburn, at least you posted the perfect sized photo for the situation...not too big, not too small..just right....good show ! [img]smile.gif[/img]

Very good eye, Mike. It is a Tom Senior.


In contrast to the frivolity with the reamer, I've been working a bit more carefully on making my first horizontal arbor, which you see proudly displayed on the table. That's a Rusnok ST vertical head atop the Senior.

It's been an arduous process. I hunted around and found a taper attachment for my SB9A and turned the B&S#9 taper, tapped the drawbar hole, put the threads in and made the nut, fabricated the dog/drive lugs to fit the Senior spindle nose, and finally got the keyseat in the morning of my reamer experiment. I'm now working to fabricate a suitable arbor support bracket, as you see on the overarm.

Very nice job
Mine has a #3 morse taper arbor and the original vertical head and hasn't been used for several years - since I got the Deckel FP1 - must get it out of the workshop, need the space. Can't get over you not having a 1/2" cutter!

- Mike -

Nice mill.

Looks like a good job on the arbor also. I've made some for my small mill, so I know what you had to do.

What material?

Are the lugs on the arbor solid with it?

Looks like you turned it round there, and then found an end mill ( ) or horizontal cutter on a different arbor to cut down to the size. I can't see the tool marks to guess what type cutter did it. (A file? )

Most likely the Rusnok, in which case you MUST have SOME end mills

Mike, which vertical head do you have? This would be good reason to dig out your digital camera and post some pictures. Saying you're thinking of getting the Senior "out of the shop" gave me palpitations. I swiftly checked the location of Canberra, hoping it might be a small town in Oregon or at the worst Idaho. You're in Australia!

J Tiers, the shaft is 12L14, which allowed me to get a great finish on the taper and the threads. I won't be hardening or grinding; it's all just an experiment to see if can do it and how long it lasts if I take care not to throw it around.

The lug isn't solid. It has a push fit up against a shoulder. Then I drilled a 1/4" hole radially through it and the arbor shaft. I very lightly countersank the holes. I then inserted a piece of 1/4" mild steel rod, cut an 1/8" or so long. Then I peened the rod ends in the countersinks with the ball of a ball peen hammer and then filed them flush. A 0.005 cut on the lathe made them virtually invisible. It will be interesting to know some day whether I do something dumb enough to result in shearing the 1/4" pin.



What I really sweated through the process was how much run-out I'd get in the arbor. A few inches from the spindle it's in the 0.001-0.002 range.

I originally used a shell mill on the lug and nut. I had to re-mill the lug a little once it was attached and used a 3/8" end mill, I think. I did use a fine file to debur and clean up these cuts a little.

Ya, I do have some end mills around here somewhere. My original question was mostly a hypothetical, a thought experiement, that I probably should have kept to myself. It wasn't that I was trying to do things the wrong way. I was just curious about what would actually happen.

Thanks for the comments, Bob

If you finish turned the arbor, and then cut the keyway, that relieved some stress and allowed it to banana a bit.

I have cutters of one arbor size that have different keyway sizes, so on that size arbor I cut two sizes of keyways, opposite each other. That arbor is straighter....

NOOOO!!!!

NOOOO!!!! [Confused]

Reply to topic title, or to last post???????????

Keyway Phobia.............?

Actually, it is possible... you need a really strong reamer, and you need to run it at about 100K RPM, and 600IPM feed. The cutting action will be more akin to a plasma cutter, through - and the liquid aluminum will go flying, so be sure to wear appropriate protective garments... [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Hey guys

I also want to build myself an overarm and arbor for my Tom Senior M1, which I brought for R 1000 ($ 120) without overarm or vertical attachment about 5 years ago after seeing it at a factory where I was doing some consulting. The milling shop manager couldn't be less interested, so they accepted my rediculous offer. I have decided to build myself an overarm because, well, I can. Also, here in South Africa, Tom Senior's are very, ver scarce. Anyway, that makes this the perfect thread for me to follow! Thanx! Anyway, I have found a website of a guy who shows how to do steel casting at home, so I now want to cast the front part, for that authentic look.

Here's a story you may enjoy. All this time I was thinking that I would have to import a vertical milling attachment from the UK, or convert one. About 2 weeks ago, I was doing some research online when I spotted a 2 year old add for one, and even in my area!! Cost: R2000. My hands started shaking... With so few M1's here, there was actually a chance that he hadn't gotten a single call for it, though it had been viewed 15 times. The next morning, hoping that the guy's mobile number hadn't changed, I followed up and, sure enough, it was still there. Less than 10 miles from my house. "Please excuse the state of my workshop", he says. It looks way better than mine, on a good day. His machines are altars of deep devotion to a religion that wise, crazy old men speak to themselves of, only in whisper.. I am crazy about tools, but this guy is worse. He is a second generation engineer (electrical AND mechanical) and second generation machine maniac. He purchased his first machine tool at age 15. His workshop is a perverted wet dream of mechanical obsession, even having a little South Bend mini shaper. If I don't find one, I will build one, and in fact I have already breached the subject of him including me in his will, as he has no wife or children (His machines are his family, I think).

He also had a Tom Senior indexing head.. I just couldn't resist, and R 4000 changed hands on that beautiful midwinter day.

Francois

basic field machinist trick drill a 1/2" hole in a piece of 1/4" starrett stock o-1 tool steel flat stock

harden and temper or use soft 1/4" steel and press in a 1/2" ID drill bushing

clamp on piece and then use a twist drill to cut a 1/3 of a hole at a time. the drill bit guide / jig will keep the drill bit cutting where you want it.

an old millwright / field machinist trick for slotting holes in the field.

I wonder did he ask the question and then tried it anyway, or tried it and then asked the question. There is a difference .